As war rages in the Middle East, the main players are not very interested in what Brussels has to say about it. The EU is trying to mediate
By DW
European Union foreign ministers in Brussels on Monday faced a harsh reality: the EU may try its best to defuse the situation with Iran, but decisions are being made without the EU. Just how limited Europe’s influence is is also shown by the fact that last Friday, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadepful and his French and British counterparts met with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Geneva to find a solution to Iran’s nuclear program.
But on Friday evening, US President Donald Trump declared that Europe could not help. “Iran does not want to talk to Europe. They want to talk to us,” Trump said. On Sunday evening, Trump ordered the bombing of three of Iran’s most important nuclear facilities, and many of America’s “partners” in the EU only learned of the attack after the bombs had fallen in Iran.
EVEN THE G7 HAS NOTHING TO SAY
However, even after the US attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called for a diplomatic solution. “This crisis can only be ended at the negotiating table.” She again singled out Iran, which “must now commit to a credible diplomatic solution.” Like European Council President Antonio Costa, von der Leyen called for respect for international law. But this American president seems to care little about what other countries – except perhaps Israel – think about the crisis with Iran.
This was also discussed intensively at the G7 summit in Canada, where he discussed it with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and other EU leaders. The G7 group agreed on a joint statement.
They reaffirmed Israel’s right to self-defense and stressed that Iran should not have nuclear weapons. They also called for a resolution of the crisis with Iran that would lead to broader de-escalation in the Middle East. Trump returned to Washington after the first day of the G7 summit, citing the conflict between Israel and Iran as the reason, fueling speculation of a swift US military intervention. Despite the joint statement, the summit saw clear differences in positions between Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron, who had been pushing for a diplomatic solution. Last Thursday, the US president announced a decision within two weeks – but in the end he acted much more quickly.
ISRAEL’S RELATIONSHIP WITH THE EU
While Europe’s helplessness in reducing conflict tensions is evident, EU foreign ministers in Brussels are also addressing the issue of Israel’s special status in EU trade. Given the consequences of Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip, where civilians are suffering, the question is whether the agreement should be extended. The Association Agreement has regulated relations between the EU and Israel for a quarter of a century. It provides, among other things, for customs and trade facilitation. The EU is Israel’s most important trading partner, with an annual turnover of more than 42 billion euros.
Article 2 of the Agreement stipulates that both parties must respect human rights and democratic principles. An investigation has been launched at the initiative of the Netherlands into whether Israel is respecting this obligation, given that it has blocked the delivery of humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza for eleven full weeks. Germany is not in favor of revising the Agreement, but practically two-thirds of EU countries, including Ireland, Spain, Luxembourg and Belgium, have expressed support for the Dutch initiative.
AGAIN, WITHOUT CONSENSUS
The High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas, also declared last week that Israel’s measures “go beyond its right to self-defense.” The blockade of food and medicine for Palestinians in Gaza does not provide security for Israel. The question is what conclusions the EU will draw from the results of this review. Suspending the entire agreement would require a unanimous decision by all members, and this will not happen due to the expected opposition of Germany or Hungary. Thus, the debate could be reduced back to what has been made clear several times since Hamas attacked Israel in October 2023 – that the EU is far from a unified position on Israel’s actions in the war in Gaza.
